EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -The low efficiency of energy transfer between trophic levels is usually the major factor that limits the length of food chains observed in a food web. The fact is, after four to six energy transfers, there is not enough energy left to support another trophic level.

Detailed explanation-2: -Energy transfer efficiency limits food chain lengths Energy is transferred between trophic levels when one organism eats another and gets the energy-rich molecules from its prey’s body. However, these transfers are inefficient, and this inefficiency limits the length of food chains.

Detailed explanation-3: -Not all the energy is passed from one level of the food chain to the next. About 90 per cent of energy may be lost as heat (released during respiration), through movement, or in materials that the consumer does not digest. The energy stored in undigested materials can be transferred to decomposers.

Detailed explanation-4: -length of a food chain in an ecosystem generally limited to 3-4 trophic levels because which energy is transferred for 3-4 trophic levels is enough to do work and after that, the energy is not enough to do work because only 10% of energy is transferred to next level. Was this answer helpful?

Detailed explanation-5: -On average only 10 percent of the food available to a trophic level is transferred to next tropic level. Since the amount of available energy becomes as we move to higher tropic levels so very little usable energy remains after four trophic levels. That’s why the food chain has only 3 to 4 tropic levels.